The Weeknd, who is known for hit songs like "Starboy," "The Hills," and "Can't Feel My Face," is famous for being hard nab on camera. The superstar does not do video interviews, and he rarely makes appearances in print stories or even on red carpets. He lives a fairly mysterious life, and that has only made his popularity grow tenfold.
The collection featured both The Weeknd selected picks of H&M's current collection and pieces that he designed himself for this launch. All of his pieces were emblazoned with "XO," a reference to a line in his song, "Reminder."
This was an excellent move by H&M to have The Weeknd select and create new pieces for their spring men's line. The Weeknd's mystery as a human being/celebrity created a lot of buzz around the collection. He even created a commercial for the launch:
Choosing The Weeknd as a sponsor for their line also amp's up H&M's brand image as a cool, fashionable, and conscious company. H&M tries to separate itself from other similar competitors like Forever 21 and Zara by being heavily involved in the sort of "underground" music scene. The company even creates campaigns every year to highlight a Coachella-themed clothing collection. By choosing The Weeknd for this men's campaign, they're solidifying their status as remaining hip and current in the public eye.
The collaboration definitely worked for sales too; the entire collection sold out online within 24 hours.
What do you think about the collaboration between The Weeknd and H&M?
I remember being surprised when I first heard about this collaboration. H&M is often referred to as the "poor man's Urban Outfitters." While this might be a stretch, there is some validity to it. H&M often has very similar designs to Urban, but H&M's clothing is much cheaper and made out of cheaper material. But I think with this new collaboration, H&M might get some more credit. Not long ago, Urban Outfitters collaborated with Lil Yachty, a rapper who has much less of a net worth than The Weeknd. Since H&M got the deal with the bigger artist, they might be ahead in the race to gain musical artists' support. This is an interesting case of how a big name, yet edgy artist could affect and somewhat refurbish a brand's identity.
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